Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“It’s what she wants, Caspian. I won’t deny what I owe her.”
“You know just as well as I do that Willow is selfless. She will never put herself first, especially when it comes to me. With a baby, that’s heightened. Deny her, Hassha. I’m begging you.”
Hassha glances over her shoulder at Milandra, who is fully alert and clutching the handle of her spear. She then presses a hand to my shoulder and leads me away from observing eyes.
“Willow wants the baby to be protected no matter what,” she says. “She wants the baby to be born, to thrive, and she knows that’ll never happen with Selah lingering around. Selah wants your child, Caspian, but if Willow gains energy from me, the child will be untouchable. They’ll be bound by my blood, just as my daughters are. Nothing will harm my girls, even if I die.”
“But she said giving birth to the baby could kill her if you do this,” I counter. “She doesn’t believe it will happen, but that doesn’t matter if there’s even a shred of possibility. Is that really what you want? For her to die just for a little power? I get it, she wants to fight and defend herself, but there has to be another way.”
“The only other way I can see is if the baby were already born. Then I could simply provide what I have to them. But they aren’t here yet, and even at this stage of Willow’s pregnancy, Selah can harbor that.”
I swallow thickly, and Cerberus whimpers at my side.
“How do I counter it? How do I make it so nothing happens to Willow and the baby is still safe if you do this?”
“You can’t,” Hassha says, her features softening. “Unless Willow backs out of it, there can only be one option. The baby lives, but she loses everything.”
“I can’t let you do it, Willow.” I march back and forth on the balcony. She’s sitting on a chair, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her head bowed.
Night has fallen and the sky is clear for once, revealing stars and a swollen moon.
“Would you rather Selah keep attacking me? To take the baby away? Hassha and Korah can’t keep their energy up and protect us forever. Selah could find a weak spot and strike when we least expect it.”
“No, Willow! You know I don’t want that, but this is mad, don’t you see that? You are making the ultimate sacrifice just so this fucking monster doesn’t hurt us. You could die, Willow, and I know you want this baby to live. I want the same, trust me. There is nothing I want more than to create a life with you, but I cannot lose you in the process.”
“It’s not guaranteed that you’ll lose me,” she says. “It could only be our Tether that’s broken, but that’s fine. We’ll still have each other, even if we can’t share thoughts.”
“Or you could die all because you keep trying to be optimistic about our fates.”
Her head shakes, and I notice her eyes glisten in the moonlight. Sighing, I drop to one knee in front of her and collect her hands in mine.
“You’re meant to be my wife soon,” I tell her in a softer voice. “We’re supposed to have a wedding, a big day dedicated to our union. You don’t have to do this, Willow. I can protect you and the baby.”
“Not if Selah does to me what she did to Warren and my birth mother, Caz.” She snatches her hand out of mine and storms back inside. I follow her, watching as she flops down on the edge of the bed and drags her hands down her face.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffles. “I’m just so tired of being weak and useless. I want to fight too, Caz. You can only protect me physically, but what about my mind? Selah touched me. She was close to me. She’s on me, Caz. I can feel her! I can’t even sleep peacefully because she’s waiting to strike. She’s lurking in the back of my mind, ready to seize her moment. But if Hassha does this—if she gives me the energy to become stronger, to block Selah out and to fight without so much struggle—I have to take it. It’s better to take this risk than to sit around waiting for the nightmares to get worse.
“What if Selah finds another hole in Hassha’s and Korah’s protection like she did with the barrier over Blackwater? She could sneak her way in and force me to slaughter every single person in this manor, and do you know why? Because I’m the weakest person here. I don’t stand a chance against her. But I could with Hassha’s help, and you know it.”
“It’s suicide, Willow.” Defeat washes over me. She won’t let me convince her. I can hear her thoughts. She’s set on this, and I don’t understand why.